Spark
by Nimbus01
Summary: As an Aviator, Nimbus is tasked with assisting the 132nd Aviator Squadron in securing Equestria's east coast. When the Awakening finds a new leader and makes a bold move against Equestria, Nimbus is pulled into the action, and soon discovers that the former supporters of Nightmare Moon have turned to a new strategy- securing and uncovering a dark secret from Equestria's past.
1. Prologue

_Prologue_

_ Doctor Bright Future,_

_ By royal decree of Princess Celestia, you are hereby ordered to cease any and all work on Project Spark. Canterlot's planners recognize your commitment to the cause, but the Griffon War is drawing to a close, and it has been decided that the continued existence of Project Spark during peacetime poses a significant potential threat to all. Once work has ceased, you are to destroy all documents which mention Project Spark or Site Echo. You will then proceed to collapse the facility. These steps are necessary to ensure that the subjects of Project Spark are never exposed to the world. Once demolition is complete, report to Princess Celestia. You will be transferred to a civilian institute for the remainder of your career. Once again, it is imperative that Site Echo is destroyed. Do not make any effort to preserve it. Such actions will be considered a blatant disregard of royal orders, and you will be convicted of treason. The Canterlot War Planning Staff thanks you for your service to Equestria in this time of need, and wishes you the best of luck in your future career. _

_ Very Respectfully,_

_ General Spear Point_

Destroy Site Echo; those were the orders. They were clear, plain, and simple, and the consequences were clearly spelled out. Four days later, dust clouds rose into the skies over the Southern Badlands as an obscure cliff face collapsed into the valley below. Nine days later, the Griffons signed a peace treaty, marking the end of Equestria's longest and bloodiest conflict- the Great Griffon War.

And thirty-two years later, Project Spark stirred from slumber.


	2. Encounter

_Encounter_

The tall, blue Unicorn pushed frantically through the bustling crowd of downtown Manehattan as she made her way towards the city's center- Starswirl Plaza. It wasn't what locals might have called a friendly night by far. Rain drizzled down onto a sea of umbrellas as ponies rushed every which way, disregarding the downpour as they made their way to work. The Unicorn nearly tripped over a family hurrying to cross the street, not even acknowledging their presence. There were more important things at stake today; her kind was dying out.

The Unicorn, who went by the name of Silky Sunset, was one of the few remaining members of the Awakening- an organization that nearly vanished after the defeat of Nightmare Moon and the return of Princess Luna. Sunset and her compatriots had tried, unsuccessfully, to return Nightmare Moon to power in the place of Princess Luna in an attempt to cast eternal darkness over Equestria. The media painted them as evil terrorists, and Sunset realized that she couldn't exactly blame them. Certain members had carried out horrific acts, such as the bombing of Starswirl Plaza the previous year. Manehattanites were still reeling over that.

Sunset wasn't proud of these actions, of course, and she suspected that the perpetrators of the acts weren't aware of the Awakening's true goal: to unite Equestria under darkness. She was certain they had pursued the Awakening's agenda for a rush, or perhaps to satisfy some inner feelings of rebellion, when in reality her organization was supposed to benefit the country. Equestria would benefit from having a stronger hoof in charge- in fact, it could _still _benefit with such a thing, even with two monarchs. Silky Sunset had nothing against either princess, but like the rest of her companions, she felt they had grown soft. Equestria needed a new leader, and if such a change had to be made forcefully, then so be it.

Turning down a dark, rain-slicked alleyway, Sunset stopped. This was it- the rendezvous point. She turned around and, as she had been briefed, a Pegasus was standing behind her.

"Evening, Silky Sunset," the Pegasus said.

Sunset nodded, "glad you could make it, Ribbon Spin."

Sunset handed Ribbon one of her two saddlebags, which the Pegasus immediately took. "Crummy weather, isn't it?" he remarked.

Sunset sighed. "Ribbon, this is an important mission. Our cause is dying as more and more ponies lose faith, and you want to talk about the weather?"

Ribbon winced. Silky Sunset had a way with words, or at least considerable skill in using them to guilt trip ponies. "Right," he said, "sorry. I just…" he looked at Sunset and took a deep breath before continuing. "I just want you to remember every once and a while that there's more to life than our little organization. Why don't you go get a coffee or something? I'll get this job done, don't you worry."

"No," Sunset said, scowling, "our organization needs us now more than ever, and that means devoting as much of ourselves as we can. I'm not touching food or drink until you get that package up to the Seaside Broadcast Tower."

Ribbon shook his head. "Whatever you say. I'll just get-" the pony froze, staring in shock at something directly behind Sunset.

"What?" Sunset said, "what is it?" Reading the expression on her companion's face and realizing the gravity of the situation, she turned around quickly. Standing behind them, clad from head to hoof in a Royal Equestrian Air Force flight suit, was an Aviator.

"Evening, you two," the Aviator said, voice muffled by his mask, "I really was hoping we wouldn't have to do this the hard way. Would you care for a chat?"

…

Storm Runner circled over Manehattan, keeping an eye on the events unfolding below. As newly commissioned Aviators, he and his friend Nimbus were being put to work daily to thwart Awakening actions. So far, they'd stopped two assassinations, thirteen counts of vandalism, and five robberies. Not bad for only two months on the job. Yet despite what they'd encountered, they very rarely saw any real action. After Nightmare Moon's defeat, it seemed most of the Awakening had become demoralized, which made capturing them almost intolerably dull. Every so often one stuck by his or her commitment and led a halfway-decent chase, but it wasn't often enough. Storm descended five hundred feet, just above rooftop level now, to get a better view. Nimbus had cornered the two Awakening ponies they'd been following on a tip since noon.

"How're you doing?" he radioed down, "are they armed?"

Below, the transmission shattered the tense atmosphere, and Nimbus sighed. "Negative, neither appears armed. I'm gonna try to talk this one through."

"Whatever you say," Storm Runner replied. Nimbus faced the ponies again, who had scarcely dared to move.

"Look," he said finally, "I get it. You're both convinced you're doing the right thing. And with this helmet on, I'm probably projecting the perfect image of the faceless, soulless automaton you undoubtedly see me as. But when I take this off-" Nimbus removed his helmet, holding it at his side, "I'm just like you. I've got a family, a little brother, hobbies, I like to read… Can't we just for once talk about this from one pony to another?"

Sunset backed up, warily eyeing Nimbus. "I know your face," she said, "you're the one who murdered our best flier."

Nimbus felt his heart plummet. Storm Runner was monitoring radio chatter and could hear every word that was said. He quickly shut off his receiver, knowing exactly what would come next.

"You mean Sun Blaze?" Nimbus said, drowning out Storm Runner's requests to contact him, "I did not kill her. She killed herself. Your idol was so obsessed with killing Celestia and entombing Luna in Nightmare Moon's power that living in a world without Eternal Night was unbearable. If you'd been there, you would have seen that instead of giving up the fight when she had the chance, she poured every last ounce of life she had into trying to destroy Celestia. Is that what your organization condones? Cold-blooded murder?"

Sunset could feel the weight of the object inside her second saddlebag- the failsafe. Plan B. Perhaps if Nimbus continued to ramble, she might have a chance to further the plan. All it would take would be a quick magical spark to the fuse…

"We do not murder, Nimbus. Those who die at our hooves deserve their fate. While I do not generally condone violence, it has its place."

Nimbus shook his head. "I can't believe it. Every time I meet you guys, it's always the same. You follow a dying cause blindly, not even stopping to ask if you're really trying to change this country for the better."

Ribbon snorted. "You're one to talk about blind faith, soldier. All of your orders come from the chain of command- a chain that starts at Celestia and Luna. I'll bet you've never once questioned an order."

_Yeah, that's not gonna work, _Nimbus thought, recalling the night he, Storm Runner and his teacher, Polaris deliberately disobeyed an order to take shelter in order to bolster Canterlot's defenses against the Awakening.

"I've heard enough," Nimbus said, "under the Royal Equestrian Air Force's acting authority granted by the Manehattan Police Force, I am obligated to place you both under arrest."

Silky Sunset winced. It was now or never. Quickly, she levitated a spherical object out of her saddlebag and lit its fuse, tossing it into the air between her and Nimbus.

"I'll die first," she said calmly.

To Nimbus, it was one of those rare moments when time seems to break down. He could see the sparking fuse and knew it was a bomb, meant to take him and the two Awakening ponies out. He'd switched off his receiver, so Storm Runner wouldn't know about the bomb until after the detonation. He flared his wings and shot forward, straight into Silky Sunset, shoving her back into her partner and tossing them both out into the street. Nimbus had time to spare one glance back before the bomb exploded. REAF flight suits were manufactured to protect against indirect fire, but the explosion was close, and the insulation wasn't entirely strong enough to keep Nimbus from feeling the sharp burn that accompanied the fireball. He winced as the concussion knocked him head over hooves, but rolled to his feet as the shockwave died down. With his world returning to normal, Nimbus switched his communications back on.

"Storm, targets are hostile," he spat, "engage the Pegasus, and I'll get the Unicorn."

Silky got to her feet and recovered, sprinting down another alley while Ribbon Spin took to the skies, pursued by Storm Runner. Nimbus shook his head and bolted into the air, flying down the alleyway Silky had taken. He spotted the Unicorn halfway down the alley, and dove towards her, but she ducked into another passageway. Nimbus tensed his wings and ripped around the ninety-degree turn. Such maneuvers were getting easier for him- with the practice he'd been receiving, it hurt much less to break the standard flight envelope. He leveled himself just in time to see a magically levitating trash can in his path. He collided with the receptacle, seeing bright stars in front of his eyes, and slammed to the ground. Through blurred eyes, he saw Sunset climbing a fire escape to the roof of an apartment building at the end of the alley. Finally, a chance to engage in the open sky.

Nimbus leapt to his hooves again, double checking his helmet targeting system. His heads-up display flickered occasionally, but it had apparently survived the blast in relatively good condition. Convinced everything was fine, he took off, accelerating up through the buildings in a sheer vertical climb. Silky was already at the edge of the apartment, leaping towards the next nearby building. Nimbus had underestimated her- the Unicorn was quite athletic. He accelerated towards her again, wings beating furiously. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Storm Runner chasing Ribbon Spin. The Pegasus was making a break for the Seaside Broadcast Tower, but Storm Runner was right on his tail, and gaining. On the roof ahead, Silky was throwing whatever she could find towards Nimbus, but the Pegasus was prepared for levitation magic this time, rolling out of the way as debris flew towards him. Silky was backpedaling, keeping her eyes focused on Nimbus as she moved, and it was then that Nimbus saw her fatal mistake. With every hoofstep she took, she came closer to the building's edge. She was so focused on Nimbus, that he knew she'd never see it in time. No longer dodging, he simply plowed through the projectiles, heading straight for Sunset. The Unicorn, realizing that her attacks were no longer keeping her pursuer at bay, turned around and put on a burst of speed, which forced her right off the building's edge.

"Dammit," Nimbus swore, diving down at Silky from above. The ground was rapidly rushing up to meet both of them. Nimbus knew he'd survive the impact, though it would hurt worse than a bucket of Manticore stingers, but the more fragile body of Silky would be a different story. He had to hurry. With only a few feet left, he dove underneath Sunset and pulled up sharply. He forced air into his lungs against the g-forces, pulling level just above the pavement. On his back, Sunset immediately passed out. Unlike Nimbus, and indeed the entire Pegasus race, her body was not strengthened against high-g maneuvers, and the sudden deceleration was too much for her. Nimbus slowed down and landed, rolling Silky Sunset off his back.

"I have the Unicorn," he said to Storm Runner. A few moments later, Storm Runner replied.

"Roger, the Pegasus is in custody now. Squawk 6800 for the authorities, they should be there shortly."

Nimbus switched his transponder frequency over to 6800- the Manehattan police alert frequency- and almost immediately heard the sound of galloping hooves as the nearest police cart approached. Behind him, Silky stirred, regaining consciousness.

"I'm… I'm alive," she moaned.

"You are," Nimbus said evenly. "I'm not a murderer, and neither are my friends and comrades. Maybe you should consider that."

Silky Sunset laughed slowly. "Maybe not now," she said, "but you will be. When the orders come your way, you will be. As for me, I'm sure the Princesses have policies on how to handle my kind, too. Perhaps an afternoon of some slow torture for me, or solitary confinement for the rest of my life. Maybe I'll even get death."

"Are you that ignorant?" Nimbus hissed, "do you and your kind really think that's how our country works? You call us the enemy without visible justification, yet I've seen no reason to believe the Awakening isn't the true evil. It's over for you. Equestria is at peace now, and it breaks my heart to see good ponies like you turning to some cause as foul as this over ideals that are over a millennia old."

Police ponies had arrived on the scene, and several took Sunset, cuffing her front hooves together. She didn't resist as they hauled her away, but stared at Nimbus with her piercing, blue eyes as she was set inside the police cart. Her next words chilled Nimbus to the bone.

"You switched your comms off when I mentioned Sun Blaze," she said. "You haven't told Storm Runner you killed her yet… have you?"

Nimbus stared, heart beating faster than it had in months. Silky Sunset smiled as the carriage pulled away.

"It's only beginning, Nimbus," she said, "your little secret won't be secret for long, and as for me- we'll return. You can count on it."

Nimbus stood in the middle of the street as the cart sped out of sight. At the sound of hooves touching down next to him, he nearly jumped out of his skin. It was Storm Runner.

"Jumpy much?" Storm asked.

Nimbus held his chest. "Dear Celestia, Storm, you nearly scared me to death."

"Well, we all had a bit of a scare today. I talked to the cops- looks like our perps will be downtown overnight. They'll be doing some light questioning, but they let me take this back." Storm Runner handed Nimbus an audio recorder. "No clue what's on there, but I figure we should let Colonel Cloudsplitter have a listen. The Pegasus was trying to get this to the Broadcast building for some reason."

"Yeah," Nimbus said, "sounds good."

"By the way," Storm added as he adjusted his flight helmet for the trip back to Manehattan Airbase, "you had a comm failure back there a while ago. I couldn't hear anything on your end. Everything alright?"

Nimbus nodded, "it's fine. Darn helmets aren't completely reliable."

"Okay then," Storm Runner said, raising an eyebrow, "well, let's head back to base. I think I've had enough excitement for one day."

"You and me both," Nimbus agreed as the two lifted off into the night sky. Even as they flew away, though, Nimbus spared a glance back at the city. Silky Sunset's words still haunted him. What was only beginning? The Awakening was supposed to be dying, wasn't it? Whatever the case, Nimbus flew on with a feeling of gnawing unease. If Sunset was right, something big was coming, and he could only hope it could be prevented.


	3. Conspiracy

_Conspiracy_

The amber lights of Manehattan Air Base glowed steadily in the ever-darkening night. By the time Nimbus and Storm Runner entered the traffic pattern, the sun's last rays disappeared from the sky, and when their hooves finally touched tarmac, every trace of light above was gone.

Nimbus was still feeling shaky from Silky Sunset's comment earlier, but he was slowly recovering. Storm Runner hadn't heard a word of the conversation about Sun Blaze, and he seemed to have bought his story about the comm failure. Still, he made a mental note to be more cautious in the future. He and Storm Runner trotted off the runway and towards the squadron building of the 132nd Aviator Squadron, or "Windigo" as its members referred to it. The squadron's patch, bearing a steely-eyed Windigo, bore down on them from above as they passed through the doors.

"Evening, Lieutenants," a Pegasus called from down the hall. It was Cyclone Sprint, the squadron's third newest Aviator ahead of Nimbus and Storm Runner. The pony, as far as Nimbus could tell, considered himself practically invincible. He was a stereotypical Aviator- cocky, brash, competitive, good-looking, and generally despised while his back was turned. What made the situation worse was that as a First Lieutenant, he was one rank senior to Nimbus and Storm, who were only Second Lieutenants- a fact he never made them forget. Still, he wasn't bad in the air- probably his only somewhat redeeming feature.

"Good evening, sir," Nimbus said, very slightly stressing the "sir" with a hint of distaste. Evidently Cyclone never picked up on the audial cue and puffed himself up a bit.

"Got two Griffons over the Bay today," he said, keeping pace with the two Aviators as they headed down the hall to Colonel Cloudsplitter's office, "I'm guessing they were going for our cargo ships again, harassing them and whatnot… anyway they saw me coming and turned tail. Pretty sure they cut their travel time back to the Griffon Kingdom in half."

"Well, that's cool," Storm Runner mumbled, voice dripping with sarcasm. "Me and Nimbus foiled a probable Awakening plot."

Cyclone was staring off into space throughout Storm Runner's comment, and when it finally registered that the pony had said something, he faked a yawn. "Well, that's… not really as exciting as my day, but I guess they don't slap the good jobs on new Lieutenants."

"Don't bet on it," Storm Runner said, "we're reporting to the Colonel now. Could be something big."

"Doubt it," Cyclone snorted, "but hey- whatever floats your boat. See you two tomorrow."

"Yeah, later," Nimbus sighed as he and Storm stopped in front of the oak door to Cloudsplitter's office. Both were nothing short of apprehensive. They'd only reported to the Colonel on their inprocessing day, and while she appeared to do her best to seem approachable, her vastly superior rank made talking to her considerably daunting.

"So are you gonna knock, or should I?" Storm Runner asked.

"I dunno," Nimbus said, "maybe we should-"

"I can hear you two out there, you know," a voice called from inside the office, "and before you ask, yes you have permission to enter."

Nimbus swallowed a lump that felt the size of a watermelon in his throat and opened the door slowly. The door made a faint creaking sound that, to Nimbus, seemed like the wail of a banshee, heralding incoming doom. Both ponies trotted in and immediately snapped to rigid attention. Nimbus reported in.

"Ma'am, Lieutenant Nimbus and Lieutenant Storm Runner report as ordered."

"Seats, please," Cloudsplitter said, pushing two seats out from behind her desk towards the two Aviators. Nimbus carefully took his seat, sitting down in the position of attention.

"At ease," Cloudsplitter said, "you two look like you've seen a ghost. For Celestia's sake… am I that scary?"

Storm Runner coughed.

"Right," Cloudsplitter said, "well, I certainly can't blame you two. You've only been here a few weeks. Now, the mission you two were tasked with today- I was debriefed on the matter by the Manehattan Chief of Police. He said you two prevented an Awakening plan of some sort- so our intel was obviously correct- and that you'd managed to catch the perpetrators alive. I must say- well done for your first non-patrol sortie."

Nimbus swelled with pride, though he tried his best not to show it. It was true- he and Storm Runner had been assigned rather ordinary harbor patrols since they'd arrived. It wasn't until the day's mission came up that Cloudsplitter made the decision to send them, in order to evaluate their usefulness and potential for future tasks.

"The chief also mentioned something about minor property damage, which I'll just gloss over. It's not like either of you lit that bomb," she looked between Nimbus and Storm Runner, "…right?"

"Yes ma'am," Storm Runner said, eliciting a swift kick from Nimbus, who interrupted.

"No, ma'am."

Cloudsplitter's gaze shifted from Nimbus to Storm Runner and back, confused. The situation was awkward, to say the least.

Storm Runner shook his head. "What we mean, ma'am, is that neither of us blew up the bomb."

"That's what I thought," Cloudsplitter said, "what interests me is the device that I'm assuming you two brought back- the Chief mentioned it was an audio recorder?"

Storm Runner produced the recorder and set it on her desk. "This is it, ma'am. The police, as far as I understand, figured the Pegasus they've got in custody tried to broadcast this nationwide. That's why he targeted the broadcast tower."

"Hmm," Cloudsplitter said, turning the device over in her hooves and examining it, "well, normally I'd check to make sure your clearance level is good for this, but… I'm just gonna go ahead and play this thing. You two found it, you ought to know what's on it, too. Odds are it's just some more Awakening blather."

Without further ado, she rewound the recorder and pressed the play button on it. Immediately, a gruff voice launched into a short announcement.

"Ponies of Equestria, you thought us gone. For most of our organization, this is in fact true. Our numbers have thinned, and you undoubtedly think us weak because of this. This is far from the truth. Our numbers are few, but our resolve is strong. Nightmare Moon is gone, but our goal remains the same. Celestia and Luna must step down. We know now that negotiation is impossible, and have turned to our only other option. There remains one way to cleanse Equestria forever. Prepare yourselves, ponies, for in a few weeks' time, we will unleash the power contained within Site Echo upon this nation. Perhaps then you will truly know our power. Sleep tonight, but remember- we are not gone. And we will not fade away."

Cloudsplitter frowned. "Eerie, full of revolutionist buzzwords, and on top of it all, it's referencing an urban legend. They really are desperate."

"Urban legend, ma'am?" Storm Runner said.

"That's right. Supposedly Site Echo was a weapons development facility during the Great Griffon War. The story goes that whatever they built in there was destroyed forever after the war, but some believe it still exists- the site that is. I think it's a load of manure. I've got top secret clearance and I haven't seen a shred of proof that the site ever existed in the first place."

"But the Awakening seems convinced it exists," Nimbus said, "to the point that they were willing to broadcast a recording about it. I guarantee they'll be going after it." He paused. "If, hypothetically, this 'Site Echo' were real, how much trouble would we be in if they managed to find it?"

"Hm," Cloudsplitter said, "big trouble. Supposedly whatever's in there would devastate life in Equestria, or perhaps all over the world if discovered. The common belief is that it's a superweapon. Like I said- not something we'd want the Awakening to get their hooves on."

"Well, then we should go after it," Nimbus said, standing up from his chair. Suddenly he felt empowered, no longer held back by his rank. "If there's any chance that Site Echo really exists- even a slim one- then we can't let the Awakening get to it first."

"Well, you won't get any argument from me on that," said Cloudsplitter, "but you have to realize that the taxpayers might think otherwise. Across the ocean, we've got Griffons dropping in daily, and while none of them have fired on us yet, things are pretty tense. We're not the only squadron within fifty miles of Manehattan, but we're the fastest-deploying one. If we pull out on some wild Cockatrice chase, there's no telling what could happen while we're gone, and if our mission turns out to be fruitless, it's entirely possible we could be shut down. Besides- I don't even know where we'd begin. I have some contacts that might… agh, good grief. I need time."

She turned to Nimbus and Storm Runner. "You two are free to go- don't bother with reporting out. I need some time to think about this. Standby, and be prepared for anything when you show up tomorrow. I'm not saying we're going on this mission, but it's definitely a possibility. You two get some rest. I'll expect you back on base at 0745 tomorrow."

"Yes ma'am," Nimbus said, saluting and turning sharply around. Storm Runner did the same, and both walked out the door in perfect marching cadence. Cloudsplitter sighed and shook her head. Rookies would be rookies. Everypony had been there once. The two new Aviators were just what the squadron needed. They added a bit of stability and spirit to the mix. Cyclone Sprint was intolerable ninety percent of the time, and Star Burst… she shuddered. Now was not the time to think about Star Burst. There was important work to be done. She grabbed some paper and a pen- time to put the base's mail phoenix to good use…

…

"That wasn't at all what I expected," Nimbus said as he and Storm Runner turned toward the building exit.

"What, you thought she'd just decide to go chase down an urban legend?" Storm Runner said, "come on, she's smarter than that."

"No, I agree," Nimbus said. "I'm just surprised we both got out of there alive after bringing up such a ridiculous idea."

"Well it's not like she's a demon from Tartarus," Storm pointed out, "the Colonel's pretty chill most of the time. I think it's cool that you respect her, but to be honest, I don't see any reason to fear her."

"I don't fear her," Nimbus replied, "I fear her rank. Guess that's just a problem with- hey!"

Nimbus was shunted into a wall as an olive and yellow Pegasus breezed stumbled right into his path. At the collision, papers flew into the air and the Pegasus started collecting them. "Oh my, oh dear Celestia, I'm so sorry," he said.

"Let me help you with that, sir," Storm Runner said, bending down and collecting whatever papers he could.

"Thanks you two," the Pegasus said. It was Star Burst, probably the squadron's most enigmatic officer. The pony was a Captain, and had a strong history of decorated service, yet nopony knew much of anything else about him aside from the record. He'd never shared details of his personal life, and tended to keep to himself. Nopony seemed to mind that either, as Star Burst just came across as a little… awkward at times.

"How'd your first real mission go?" the pony asked with a waver in his tone that Nimbus felt almost bad about classifying as borderline neurotic.

"Oh, you know," Nimbus said, tapping his front hooves together awkwardly, "it wasn't bad. Storm and I got the job done and found about some place called Site Echo."

Star Burst's right eye twitched. "You said Site Echo?"

"Yeah, we think that's where the Awakening's headed," Storm said, picking up the rest of the papers and passing them back to Star, who stuffed them into his saddlebag.

"Please tell me you're not actually going to look for it."

Nimbus cocked an eyebrow. "You believe it exists?"

Star Burst snorted. "Are you kidding me? Ever look at the big budget holes that came up during the latter half of the Griffon War? The evidence is there… nopony wants to believe it, though. Trust me- I say it exists, and I hope the rumors that it wasn't destroyed are wrong. Whatever's out there-" he fixed Nimbus and Storm Runner with a serious glance as he slowly backed away, "-will doom us all. Mark my words. You two have a good night."

Nimbus blinked absently, watching the odd pony leave. Storm Runner hadn't moved a muscle.

"Well, okay then," Storm said at last, "you wanna remind me just how that nutjob reached Captain again?"

"Well he does have an impressive reco-"

"I'm leaning towards luck," Storm continued, cutting Nimbus off as the two left the building and stepped into the crisp, cool night. Nimbus couldn't wait to get back to his apartment and sink into bed. He could practically feel the warm covers around his body now…

"Hey," Storm Runner said, breaking Nimbus's daydream, "so maybe this mission tomorrow will be the end of us running missions for the cops, too."

Nimbus paused to think about this. Storm had a point- lately, the Manehattan police force had been somewhat short of personnel after the Summer Sun Celebration fiasco, at least compared to the rising number of new threats coming out of the woodwork each day. Enter the Royal Equestrian Air Force, which agreed to support local police operations for a while. With the majority of said operations now focusing on the Awakening, it was highly possible that, if this mission toppled the Awakening for good, the police would let the Aviators go about their usual missions.

"I suppose it's possible," he said aloud, "but that's assuming we even get to launch this mission. I don't know who Cloudsplitter's going to run this one by for permission, but chasing an urban legend's going to be hard for anypony to swallow."

"Suppose so," Storm said, nodding as he split off towards his own apartment building. "Well, I'll see you tomorrow, then. And don't lose hope- there's always a chance somepony'll see this situation like we do."

"Have a good night," Nimbus said, turning away. Enemies, conspiracies, and high-ranking officers- today had been just a mess of events. Yawning, he headed for home. It was time for sleep.

…

The holding cell wasn't too shabby, Silky Sunset admitted to herself. It was clean, and it had a working sink. The bed was practically new as well. Maybe they were taking pity on her; anything was possible. A few hours earlier, the police had spent a while questioning her about her actions. She simply told them the Awakening would rise again. It wasn't some big secret by far. She was simply relaying the message the audio recorder had been intended to deliver. During the entire interview, she'd remained quite calm- to a point that she could sense her interviewer's discomfort. It had been almost pleasing.

Outside the cell, the door to the station's waiting room opened and a tan Earth Pony walked in, escorted by a police officer.

"You have five minutes," the officer said, then left, closing the door behind him. Outside, he turned and focused his eyes on the stallion. If his intentions were to free Sunset, his efforts would be foiled before they barely began. The stallion took a seat on a bench just outside the cell.

"Sunset," he said, "I bring news for you."

Sunset frowned. "You risked exposing yourself, on my behalf, brother. Why?"

"Rising Star was captured in Canterlot today," the pony said, "instead of being imprisoned, he took his own life. You were his deputy, and you know what that means."

Silky Sunset shook with a shiver of excitement and apprehension. Rising Star was the Awakening's leader. Now that he was dead, it was her place to claim.

"Brother, I am unable to lead from this cage," she said at last. "You must choose somepony else."

"That's where you're wrong," the Earth Pony said, "We have a plan, and all you'll have to do is remain here until tomorrow afternoon."

"Go on…" Sunset said, a very faint smile playing about her face.

From outside the soundproof cell, the officer had no idea what was being spoken between the two, but the ever-widening smile on Sunset's face unnerved him. When it was finally time for her visitor to leave, he escorted the pony out. Before closing the door, he turned to Sunset.

"Good night," he said. He never liked playing the bad cop, and wishing prisoners a good night, he felt, was a simple, trust-building gesture.

"I'll see you tomorrow," Silky Sunset said, fixing him with her gaze.

The officer backed out and closed the door, never breaking eye contact. He'd seen insane prisoners, psychopaths, and even some that just seemed purely evil. This was completely different from anything he'd seen before. The mare's gaze seemed to pierce his soul. He locked the door and turned, nodding to the station's receptionist as he left the building and trotted out into the street. It was high time to go home and forget this ever happened.


End file.
